Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of IFC Markets vs Alpari, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
IFC Markets and Alpari are both well-established online brokers in the trading industry, with IFC Markets founded in 2006 and Alpari starting in 1998. Neither of these brokers is publicly traded or operates as a bank. When it comes to regulatory standing, IFC Markets holds one trusted Tier-2 license, while Alpari does not have any Tier-1 or Tier-2 licenses. This difference highlights their varied approaches to regulation and risk management.
Based on assessments by ForexBrokers.com, IFC Markets achieves a Trust Score of 73, placing it in the average risk category. In comparison, Alpari scores slightly lower with a Trust Score of 68, marking it as a higher risk option. These trust scores provide insight into each broker's reliability, offering traders essential information to consider when choosing a platform that suits their needs and risk appetite.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2006 | 1998 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
When comparing IFC Markets and Alpari, both brokers offer competitive commissions and fees, although detailed average spread data is absent for both. IFC Markets is recognized for its favorable pricing structure, which facilitates cost-effective trading options for its users. This broker has earned a commendable rating of 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees, reflecting its steady standing in the trading community.
On the other hand, Alpari also stands as a reliable choice for trading, with a similar 4-star rating for its commissions and fees. Alpari's pricing is catered to meet the varied needs of its clients, providing them with a comfortable trading experience. With a respectable place in the broker landscape, it continues to appeal to a broad range of traders.
In the context of rankings, IFC Markets slightly edges out Alpari in the Commissions and Fees category as per ForexBrokers.com. IFC Markets is ranked #39 out of 62 brokers, while Alpari follows closely at #41. These rankings underline each broker's competitive strengths while aiding traders in making informed decisions based on their specific trading fee expectations.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1 | $20 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.44 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing IFC Markets and Alpari in terms of their investment offerings, there's a noticeable difference in the variety of options available to traders. IFC Markets offers a significantly larger selection with 630 tradeable symbols compared to Alpari’s 105. This broader range includes 49 forex pairs at IFC Markets, while Alpari offers slightly fewer with 46 pairs. Both brokers provide forex trading through CFDs and spot contracts and offer trading in international exchange-traded securities, but neither provides direct access to U.S.-listed securities like Apple shares.
In terms of additional investment tools, both brokerages offer copy trading, catering to investors interested in mirroring the trades of others. They also support cryptocurrency derivatives, though neither allows the purchase of actual cryptocurrencies. When it comes to user ratings and industry rankings for the range of investments, IFC Markets edges out Alpari. With a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars and a rank of 43 among 62 brokers, IFC Markets offers a slightly more diverse investment portfolio compared to Alpari’s 3-star rating and 62nd position in the same category.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 630 | 105 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 46 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
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When comparing the online trading platforms of IFC Markets and Alpari, both brokers offer a range of features that cater to traders of all levels. Each broker provides a free virtual demo account, allowing users to practice trading with simulated funds before diving into the real markets. They both have developed proprietary platforms in-house, alongside offering the widely used MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platforms. These platforms are accessible via Windows-based desktop downloads or directly through a web browser, ensuring flexibility in how traders can manage their investments. Additionally, both IFC Markets and Alpari support copy trading, enabling users to replicate the trades of more experienced investors.
Charting tools are crucial for analysis, and both brokers offer 15 drawing tools, empowering traders to annotate their charts effectively. The ability to trade directly from stock charts is available with both platforms, facilitating convenient and actionable insights. While neither broker provides DupliTrade or ZuluTrade, their own and popular third-party platforms reflect well on their functionality. Watch lists come with up to 7 customizable columns to help organize trading information efficiently. Rated at four stars each for trading platforms and tools, IFC Markets holds a higher ranking at 36th place, compared to Alpari's 55th place, based on ForexBrokers.com analysis of 62 brokers.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
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When comparing the mobile trading apps of IFC Markets and Alpari, both brokers offer iPhone and Android apps, alongside essential features like stock and forex price alerts. They share similarities, such as providing 30 technical studies for charting, the ability to draw trendlines, and viewing multiple time frames on stock or forex charts. Additionally, both platforms allow users to create watchlists with real-time quotes. However, a key difference lies in their watchlist syncing capabilities. IFC Markets syncs watchlists between the mobile app and the client's online account, which is a feature that Alpari lacks.
Users who prioritize saving chart drawings automatically will find that IFC Markets offers this feature, whereas Alpari does not. Despite these differences, both brokers are rated four stars for their mobile trading apps. According to ForexBrokers.com, IFC Markets is ranked 52nd, while Alpari is slightly lower at 56th place, out of 62 reviewed brokers. These rankings reflect the comprehensive features and user experience provided by each app, making both platforms viable options for mobile traders.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing IFC Markets and Alpari, there are notable differences in the market research tools and information each broker provides. IFC Markets delivers daily market commentary and includes a sentiment-based trading tool to help investors gauge market dynamics, although they lack forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg. On the other hand, Alpari excels by offering forex news from leading sources, but does not provide daily market commentary or a sentiment-based trading tool.
Although both offer economic calendars, Alpari provides additional technical analysis and fundamental research tools through Autochartist, which could be advantageous for traders relying on such tools. However, both platforms fall short by not providing services from companies like Trading Central, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading. Overall, IFC Markets slightly edges out with a research rating of 3.5 stars compared to Alpari's 3 stars, securing a better position in the ForexBrokers.com research ranking at #40, while Alpari stands at #57.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners, IFC Markets and Alpari both offer a decent array of learning materials but differ in several key areas. Both platforms provide at least ten educational pieces focused on forex or CFDs, including articles and videos, helping newcomers get a good start in trading. IFC Markets shines with a comprehensive selection of over ten beginner-focused trading videos, which is matched by Alpari. However, IFC Markets takes the lead for advanced educational content, offering over ten videos aimed at experienced traders that Alpari doesn’t match. Both brokers provide a helpful investor dictionary with more than 50 investing terms, ensuring users have access to important definitions. However, neither broker offers monthly educational webinars or a searchable webinar archive, which might be a drawback for those who prefer interactive learning sessions.
In terms of overall ratings, IFC Markets earns a slightly higher score of 3.5 stars compared to Alpari's 3 stars in the education category. This difference is reflective of their respective positions in the ForexBrokers.com ranking for education, where IFC Markets is positioned as #30 out of 62 brokers, while Alpari ranks lower at #48. These rankings suggest that while both brokers provide essential resources for beginners, IFC Markets may offer a more extensive and comprehensive educational experience, especially for those looking to advance their trading knowledge.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that IFC Markets is better than Alpari. IFC Markets finished with an overall rank of #44, while Alpari finished with an overall rank of #57.
IFC Markets is a well-established broker that has been in operation for 17 years. Forex traders at IFC Markets gain access to multiple trading platforms, a growing range of tradeable markets, and a balanced offering of research and educational content. However, IFC Markets’ Trust Score suffers due to the broker’s limited range of regulatory licenses.
| Feature |
IFC Markets
|
Alpari
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 68 |
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Both IFC Markets and Alpari provide the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives, but neither offers the ability to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies.
While both IFC Markets and Alpari do not support ACH, SEPA, or PayPal transfers for fund deposits or withdrawals, they each offer Visa or Mastercard and bank wire options, with Alpari additionally providing the option to use Skrill.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
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| Broker Screenshots | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
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| Regulation | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 73 | 68 | |
| Year Founded | 2006 | 1998 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | No | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 630 | 105 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 49 | 46 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.44 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $1 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 30 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 15 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | IFC Markets | Alpari | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
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| Trust Score | 73 | 68 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review |
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